A MelanieM Review: The Werewolf on Lowre Few Lane by Bryce Bentley-Tales

Standard

Rating: 4 .5 stars out of 5

Thirteen-year-old Colton and his best friend Jade spend their free time investigating a local urban legend concerning an old abandoned house in their hometown in Ireland. The run-down building is said to be haunted and some of the things they’ve seen seem to confirm it.

Colton has a crush on foreign-exchange student, Dylan, who is visiting his aunt from America. But Dylan isn’t your average American kid, and soon Colton and his friends are embroiled in more than urban legend and must find a way to save everything they know and love.

If you’re a lover of those wonderful fantasy adventures that mixed youth, growing up with both the familiar and the unknown, where wardrobes turned into doors into scary, fabulous alternate worlds and a path that the heroes took on a fated journey? Well, here’s a tale for you! The Werewolf on Lowre Few Lane by Bryce Bentley-Tales, the first story by this author, brings together an unlikely group of 13 and 14 year olds in a small town in Ireland. We meet the first two misfits out where clearly they have no business being, spying on the local haunted house and getting thoroughly creeped out in the process when it starts to show evidence that perhaps things aren’t as normal there as they should be.

It’s Colton, half Irish half Asian with a mother from Singapore and a dad from Ireland, and one of his best friends Jade, a wonderfully brash,intelligent girl who’s a great match for the curious Colton, although their first attempts at being low key are both spot on for their age and laughingly normal. Thomas of the bright red hair, and surprising depths and sweet Erin come a little later. It’s on one dark night when they are out investigating that they meet Dylan, the American foreign exchange student staying with his Aunt who lives locally.just as

Ah, how the author has all the threads needed to start weaving a marvelous supernatural fantasy tapestry! And he does! What an adventure! From a pack of white wolves menacing the village and local boys gone missing to Colton needing to figure out issues within himself, low self worth and insecurity to a group that shows realistic, heartwarming amounts of individual growth while on an epic journey! And yes, it’s also about family and love and what that truly means to each and every preteen and grownup involved here.

One element I absolutely appreciated? That fact that both Colton’s and Dylan’s homosexualtiy wasn’t treated as a huge deal. Of course, they do have much large things to face throughout most of the story, that feeling comfortable with who they are becomes much easier for all of them in the end. Perspective and all.

Was the story perfect? No. I needed more worldbuilding and backhistory for Dylan and his side of the family. I definitely needed more on Weredome. More, much more books and adventures there, please! Just the tiny glimpses we got was enough to want to go sledding through the lands on romps wild and free with the folk there. So I’m hoping the author has more planned for this merry troop and that house on Lowre Few Lane. One book clearly is not enough.

The Werewolf on Lowre Few Lane by Bryce Bentley-Tales is well written, full of endearing, believable characters on quests and into adventures that keep you glued to Kindle or whatever you happen to be reading the story on. I loved it.

I definitely recommend this story for all lovers of YA novels and fantasy/supernatural novels. Or just lovers of fantasy fiction who are young at heart.

Cover art: Natasha Snow. I liked parts of this cover, especially where we seem to be looking through a doorway out into a snowy world. I think maybe it’s the font giving me issues.